Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda, a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own, the Milky Way. Andromeda and the Milky Way are approaching one another at a speed of 100 to 140 kilometers per second (62–87 miles/sec). However, this does not mean it will definitely collide with the Milky Way, since the galaxy's tangential velocity is unknown. If they do collide, the two galaxies will likely merge to form a monster elliptical galaxy... Read Full Story

Last night the sky was clear so Logan and I pulled out the starmap and flashlight and did some observing from the backyard. Recently I've been focusing on the Southwestern horizon simply because of the lack of line of sight obstructions, but decided to check out the Northeast sky. I'm really glad I did! Here are the most interesting objects we observed last night. Cassiopia The first constellation that caught my eye was Cassiopia (click for larger): As you can see, Cassiopia has a distinct... Read Full Story

Our Milky Way Galaxy is part of a gathering of about 25 galaxies known as the Local Group. Members include the Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Small Magellanic Cloud, Dwingeloo 1, several small irregular galaxies, and many dwarf elliptical and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Pictured on the lower right is one of the dwarf ellipticals: NGC 205. The Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way are approaching one another at a speed of 100 to 140 kilometres per second. The... Read Full Story

M31 lies 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda and is the nearest large spiral galaxy to our own. Under a clear, dark sky, it can be seen as a misty patch with the naked eye. In a break from its usual task of searching for distant cosmic explosions, NASA's Swift satellite has acquired the highest-resolution view of a neighboring spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet (see below). The galaxy, known as M31 in the constellation Andromeda, is the largest and closest... Read Full Story

Queen of Wands – Venus Venus is an extremely inhospitable planet that has an atmosphere of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid, with temperatures hot enough to melt lead. This unfriendly environment seems at odds with the love-and-beauty image of Venus, but the mythological goddess also rules the passionate emotions that love engenders. These find an apt metaphor in the superheated, seething atmosphere of the planet. The Queen of Wands, like the Greek goddess, has gained a certain level of... Read Full Story

Taken by a telescope onboard NASA's Swift satellite, this stunning vista represents the highest resolution image ever made of the Andromeda Galaxy (aka M31) - at ultraviolet wavelengths. To compare this gorgeous island universe's appearance in optical light with its ultraviolet portrait, just slide your cursor over the image. Read Full Story

A rural Montana couple says it's willing to pay up to $10,000 for actual meteorites. Marlin Cilz and his wife Debbie own a company called the Montana Meteorite Laboratory in Malta, Montana. They tell the Great Falls Tribune that they will pay up to the ten grand price at a payout of $10 per pound. Mr. Cilz has been collecting meteorites since childhood. He cuts, polishes and etches the rocks and then sells them to universities and other collectors around the world. Cilz notes that even... Read Full Story

Fabiuzzo77 posted a photo: This is - Samu and I- team astrophoto -Heyford 80mm refractor (main scope) -Losmandy gm8 mount -Televue Ranger 70mm (guide scope) -DBK camera with GPUSB and PHD autoguide -Canon 350D modified with Badeer ACF filter We used 12x5min ISO400 light frames calibrated with 8 dark and 11 offset with Iris. Processed using MaximDL. Read Full Story

Every week, we take the Astronomy Pictures of the Day at NASA and post them here.  Why?  They are just WAY too cool to miss and they are currently too large to be stumbled from the primary site.  Be sure to click through to the main site to check them out in their fullest form. September 30, 2008 Planets Ahoy! Explanation: Can you spot the Solar System's four rocky planets? In the above image taken on September 20, all of them were visible in a single glance, but some of them may be... Read Full Story

The Pleiades (Messier Object 45) has a very unique feature in astronomy. It is the most obvious star cluster to the naked eye in the night sky; along with being one of the closest star clusters. This cluster is found at the shoulder of the bull in the constellation Taurus. The Pleiades were used by the ancient Greek sailors as a type of weather forecast: if the Pleiades were visible it was a good time to set sail; if the Pleiades were not visible, most likely a storm was coming. The... Read Full Story